So it was a real treat to have some father-son time tonight. Started off by going to Killer Burger for dinner. Great place, with about 10 choices on the menu and a selection of local microbrews on tap. Nathan went for the Peanut butter-Pickle-Bacon burger and I went for the Barnyard, featuring ham, bacon, cheese. lettuce, tomato and a fried egg.
Nathan surprised me at the cash register by whipping out his wallet and treating me to dinner. Now that's a gesture any parent can appreciate. Turns out Nathan and every one of his co-workers at Audio Precision in Beaverton received a cash bonus in their most recent paycheck, a sweet surprise in this environment.
We ran into Nathan's former roommates, a recently wed couple, and shared a table while we downed our burgers and fries. Afterward, just the two of us went a couple doors down to Pal's Shanty and had a beer while we continued the conversation about work, life, the ups and downs, the things we grow from and the things we aspire to. Nothing heavy, just real talk, unfiltered and uninterrupted .
With Jordan serving in the Army and Simone off at graduate school, Nathan is the only one of our children still living in Portland. We felt his frustration when it took him nearly a year after his college graduation to find work in his field -- a marketing internship that has turned into a part-time regular position. But as good things have happened to him, both at work and in his personal life, we have shared in his joy and growing sense of self-confidence.
It hasn't always been this way. As Nathan himself said tonight, "Seven years ago, I don't know how you put up with me. I had my head so far up my ---." Happily, that's no longer the case.
Tonight was fun, plain and simple. Can't wait to do it again.
No comments:
Post a Comment